Domestic Cases: Free Movement and Migration

11 August 2015

Denmark

Detention of EU citizens

Several Romanian (i.e. EU citizen) Roma were detained and removed from Denmark. With the ERRC’s help, they have already established that their expulsion was unlawful. The ERRC is now supporting them to secure compensation for their unlawful detention.

Italy

State of Emergency Follow Up Cases (Milan)

During the State of Emergency declared in Italy concerning Roma, which was subsequently ruled unlawful, the authorities processed significant amounts of personal data of Roma (for example, taking and recording their fingerprints). The ERRC is supporting some of those whose data was processed to challenge the violation of their rights resulting from this data processing.

Macedonia

Border discrimination and passport confiscation

In 2009, the Macedonian government introduced a set of repressive measures aimed at preventing its citizens from leaving the country, including passport confiscation, enhanced border controls, and profiling. These measures almost exclusively result in Roma being refused the right to leave their own country. The ERRC, together with the Macedonian Young Lawyers’ Association and lawyers, is supporting some of those Roma who were either forbidden to leave the country or whose passports were confiscated to challenge the discriminatory and otherwise unlawful conduct of the authorities in a series of cases. The ERRC is supporting the litigation of 14 individual cases of people who allege they were racially profiled, as well as a further case resulting from situation testing the ERRC organised.

Serbia

Serbian border refusal

Macedonian citizens are normally allowed to enter Serbia without difficulties. However, a Romani man with Macedonian citizenship was heading to Germany to visit his son; he was refused entry to Serbia, together with the entire group of passengers from Macedonia, all Roma, travelling in a taxi van. The ERRC is supporting the client is bringing a discrimination claim against the Serbian authorities.

Romani and Traveller children in England are much more likely to be taken into state care than the majority population, and the numbers are rising. Between 2009 and 2016 the number of Irish Travellers in care has risen by 400% and the number of Romani children has risen 933%. The increases are not consistent with national trends, and when compared to population data, suggest that Romani and Traveller children living in the UK could be 3 times more likely be taken into public care than any other child.

There’s a high percentage of Romani and Egyptian children in children’s homes in Albania – a disproportionate number. These children are often put into institutions because of poverty, and then find it impossible ever to return to their families. Because of centuries of discrimination Roma and Egyptians in Albania are less likely to live in adequate housing, less likely to be employed and more likely to feel the effects of extreme poverty.